July 8, 2004 -- In this latest roundup, we've found affordable, multi-night packages and Shenendoah and Mesa Verde; a new educational program at Yellowstone; and a tale about the surprising results of what can happen to litterers.
In case you didn't know, the post 9/11 coordination between different law enforcement branches of the US Government is working quite well, at least if you are the kind of visitor to the national parks who breaks the law. According to the Associated Press in a dispatch on June 19, 2004, Hope Clarke, a teacher's assistant who left some marshmallows and hot chocolate standing on her Yellowstone National Park picnic table when she walked away from it last fall, was busted, thanks to U. S. Customs and Immigration officials who arrested her several months later in Miami.
When her Mexico-to-Miami cruise ship arrived in Florida early one morning, she was awakened at 6:30 and hauled off in handcuffs before a local judge, after nine hours in detention. When she pointed out that she had paid a $50 fine before leaving Yellowstone (and had the receipt to prove it), they let her go, but didn't apologize. There is a moral to the story -- park officials are very strict about enforcing rules against leaving food lying around, temptations that might entice animals and make them reliant on human food. The other moral is, of course -- where might all that energy on behalf of law enforcement coordination be better spent?
Mesa Verde
At the Mesa Verde National Park, you can have a marvelous three-night vacation weekend for just $229 per person. The deal is good for September 3 to 6, or October 8 to 11, 2004. You get lodging for three nights in the Far View Lodge inside the park, an all-day professionally guided tour of the park's prehistoric sites, including Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde, and a special lunch, not to mention daily breakfast, some Java City specialty coffee and a four-ounce sample of freshly made fudge, they say. Contact Aramark, the concessionaire, at 800/592-7924 and ask for code WKND3.
Yellowstone
"Roosevelt Rendezvous" is the name of one Lodging & Learning program to be offered by Xanterra Parks & Resorts (the concessionaire for Yellowstone) this September. There will be four different four-day segments between September 10 and September 26, 2004, that include four nights of lodging at Roosevelt Lodge in Roughrider Cabins, three meals daily, and expert instruction from the Yellowstone Association Institute. Each day, you'll learn from institute naturalists during field trips about wildlife watching through excursions, or interpretive driving tours or natural history hikes. Each evening, an expert presents a special program at the lodge. Rates are $640 per person for single room, $530 per person for double room, plus tax.
A second program, called the Fall Wolf & Elk Discovery program is offered Sundays to Wednesdays or Thursdays to Sundays between September 12 and October 3, 2004. This one, costing $547.50 for a single person or $405 per person in a double, plus tax, has you joining an institute instructor to learn about the park's predator/prey relationships as well as the elk's behavior during mating season. Maximum group of 12 per session.
In addition to the lodging and instruction, each package includes activities, breakfast and box lunch daily per person. Make your reservations by calling 307/344-5566 or 307/344-5518. More information on the association can be had at www.yellowstoneassociation.org.
Oh, Shenandoah!
In the lovely Shenandoah National Park, there are four packages available, three of them for two nights (three days) and one for three nights (four days). Prices range as low as $182 for the Family Hiking Package to $358.50 for the longer Adventure Package. In the former, you get two nights of lodging in a standard room at Skyland Resort (or at Big Meadows Lodge), a hiking book, two hiking hats, two box lunches on one day, taxes and tips. For the Adventure Package, the deal includes three nights of lodging in a standard room, breakfast for two on three mornings, and your choice of three activities (for two adults in each case): horseback riding, Luray Caverns admission, canoeing or tubing, Monticello admission, Horton Vineyards Tour or Shenandoah Jubilee admission (Fridays only), as well as taxes and tips.
All four packages offered are valid Sundays through Thursdays only during the operating season, with some exceptions and blackout dates. Packages are not available on Saturday nights or during the month of October. Rates do not include a $4 fee per night, per room water surcharge. Note that the Skyland Resort, sitting on a high peak, is a full-service hotel, they say, while the Big Meadows Lodge is more laid back or informal. Contact them at 800/778-2854 or visit www.visitshenandoah.com.
